Fourdrinier machine



W. VOITH FOURDRINIER MACHINE Feb. lo, 1925. 1,526,193

Filed sep`t..14, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 Blf/W ATTORNEY/S.

Feb, l0, 1925. 1,526,193

w. volTH FOURDRINIER MACHINE Filed Sept. 14, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEYQS'.

Patented Feb. 10,1925.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTHER VOITH, 0F ST. 1EOEllLTl-TIN,` AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN VOITH CON- TACT COMPANY, INC., OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOURDRINIEB MACHINE.

Application filed September 14, 19.22. Serial No. 588,187.

To YZ whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I` TAI/rune Vo1TII,a citizenof the German Republic, residing at St. Poelten, Austria, and having a postal address at No. 280 Madison Avenue, New York city, New York, U. S. A., have invented new and useful Improvements in Fourdriu; ier Machines, of which the following is a speciication. 4

My invention relates to Fourdrinier machines, and particularly to the feed of stock to the screen. The particular objects of my invention are to provide an limproved feed i device consisting of a high level stock gate which allows of an even and perfect distribution of the stock to the screen, in combination with an improved distributor, by-

means of which a more even distribution of the bres in the stock is attained.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a broken front elevation of a stock y,vat in -which my invention is embodied; l

Fig."2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. .1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, but drawn to a larger scale.

In order to obtain .a paper product of good quality, it is necessary'to insure the uniform distribution of the wood libres throughout the stock from which the sheet is made. Further it is necessary to insure the delivery of the stock from the vat to the screen in a sheet of uniform depth across the entire width of thescreen. Finally it is necessary to prevent any formation of knots, lumps and foam in the feed device.

The first two results are accomplished by a so-called high level stock vat of the type indicated atl 5 in-Fig. 2, and already known in the prior art. To accomplish the third result, various devices have heretofore'been providedfor agitating the stock in the vat adjacent the delivery sluice, so that the fibres in the stock will not gather into knots or bunches, which produce uneven spots in the .'nal product. v-These stirrers or ,agitators havev heretofore been constructed or operated in such manner that an objectionable amount of foam-is produced at the delivery sluiceway, and its presence is not only objectionable in the stock, but also results in the occurrence of irregularities in the stock sheet delivered to the screen.

In the .construction herel shown the stock with a bevel gear 14 meshing with a .similar y gear 15 at the lower end of the spindle 16, driven through gears 17 and 18 from the shaft of belt wheel 19. At itsY opposite end the drum 10 is closed and supported in vany suitable way in the opposite side of the vat 5, for example, by a peripheral bearing ring The perforations in the walls of the cylinder are of suticient size to vpermit the free iiow of the stock therethrough without danger of choking. The speed of rotation ot' the drum may be varied, but is in any event such that little or no foam is created. The stock flows through the drum to the sluice 9 with the pulp fibres thoroughlyV separated `from each other and evenly distributedjin the stock which is delivered to the sluice. y

As is well known -in the-art, the stock 8 is delivered to' the vat by an overiow Weir or similar' arrangement. The incoming stock thus delivered creates a turbulent condition in the vat with wave-like agitation thereof which aiiects the delivery of the stock at tho'discharge opening to the screen, and tends to cause ripples in the stock sheet which unfavorably affect the product, especially in a stock vat of the type shown in Fig. Y2 where the speed of the stock flowing through the discharge opening or noz- -zle to the screen. has a high velocity. To

meet this diiculty it has been heretofore proposed to provide weirs or overflow partitions in the vat which have the effect of forming a relatively quiet body of stock adjacent to the discharge opening. These arrangements are, however, objectionable for the reason` among others, that they cause a settling of the heavy components of the stock body, on the inlet side of the weirs or screens, thus necessitating further agitation of the mass in order to keep it uniform. By locating4 the cylinder 10 directly at the-delivery opening 9, the turbulence o f the stock in the `vat is prevented from affecting the flow at the discharge port, ywhile the rotation of the cylinder distributes the fibres andsecures a substantially uniform distribution thereof throughout the stock as it passes' while it is also adjustable at transversely' spaced points by flexing the samen to insure perfect uniformity of thickness in` the stock sheet across the entire width of the machine. Thus,- links 24' are connected to the apron 21 at relatively closely spaced intervals. At their upper ends they are threaded at 25 and engaged by nuts 26 above and below the bosses 27 on the stirrups 28, by which the links areY hung from ecccntrics 29 on`the transverse shaft 30. At one end the shaft is provided with a worm wheel 31 meshing with a Worm 32 supported in the bracket 33 and operated by a hand wheel 34. The rotation ofthe shaft-30 and the cams 29 by means of the hand Wheel 34, raises and lowers the several adjusting links 24 simultaneously and to an equal degree, thus increasing or decreasing the thickness of the stock sheet on the. screen across the entire width of the latter. By ma.- nipulation of the hand nuts 26, at the head of any of the links 24, the apron 21 may be flexed at the area to which the particular link is attached. It is thus possible to vary the thickness of the stock sheet at any point transversely thereof by manipulation of the hand nuts 26.

Various modifications in details of construction and arrangement will readily occur to those dealing with the problem, withoutV departing from. what I claim as my invention. I claimfor regulating the depth of the stock sheet delivered to the screen' from the vat, and means located adjacent to the dischar e opening of the vat for substantially eliminating 'vat disturbance of the stock at the discharge port and for insuring the delivery of the stock in substantially uniform condition to said port.

2. In a paper making machine, a travelling screen, a high level stock vat discharg- `ing thereto, an adjustable and flexible gate for regulating the depth of the stock sheet delivered to the screen from the vat, and a rotary cylindrical drum' extending transversely of the vat and located adjacent to the discharge opening of the vat for substantiallyeliminating vat disturbance of the stock at the discharge port and for insuring the delivery of the stock in substantially uniform condition to said port.

3. Ima paper making machine, a travelling scrn, a high level stock vat discharging thereto, an adjustable and flexible gate for regulating the depth of the stock sheet delivered to the screen from the vat, and a rotary perforated cylindrical drum extending transversely' of the vat and located adjacentto the discharge opening of the vat for siibstantially climi ating vate disturbance-gf the stock at thgidjscharge port and for insuring the delivery-of the stock in -substantially uniform condition to said port.

4. In a paper making machine, a travelling screen, a high level`stock vat discharging thereto. an adjustable and flexible gate for regulating the depth of the stock sheet delivered to the screen from the vat,-and a rotary perforated cylindrical drum extending transversely ofthe vat and located adjacent to the discharge openingiof the vat for substantially eliminating vat,disturbance of therstock at the' discharge port and for insuring the delivery of the stock in substantially uniform condition'to said port, together with means for varying' the speed of rotation of the drum.

.5. In a paper making machine, the combinationl offa travelling screen, a high level stock vat discharging thereto, an adjustable and flexible 'gate for'regulating the depth of the stock sheet delivered to the screen from the vat, a rotary perforated cylindrical drum extendingtransversely of the vat and located adjacent to the discharge opening of the vat, and means 'for varying the speed ofthe rotation df the drum. v

Initestim'ony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTHER- vorrn. 

